Changing Tides
by Abearently
Summary: After thinking that life had already dealt her a bad hand, Winter Clarring is forced to put all of her cards on the table when she is reaped for the 70th Hunger Games. Will she simply accept what she believes to be her ultimate demise, or will she rise to the occasion and beat the odds? Finnick x OC (My first story, so please review and tell me your likes/dislikes!)
1. Chapter 1

**So here is my first story! I hope that you all enjoy reading it, I am a big fan of both The Hunger Games books and movies (have already seen Catching Fire twice in theaters, plan on seeing it again later this week). The introduction might seem a tad boring because no familiar characters are brought in, but a few familiar faces will be entering next chapter! Also, I would like to say that I am actually a huge supporter of Finnick x Annie, and think that their relationship is absolutely adorable, I am just a big OC writer, as well. Hopefully that doesn't deter many from reading this story, and feel free to tell me what you think! Unfortunately, I do not own The Hunger Games or any of its lovely ideas or characters and all rights belong to Suzanne Collins.**

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Although her district was never silent—you could always hear the crash of waves, the yells of fishermen, the pattering of children's feet against the sand—there was an eerie calm that always settled over the residents during this time of year, muffling their enthusiasm and usual vigor. It wasn't something that was openly discussed, but simply understood. The whole municipality falls under a spell until the ceremony is over, and then things eventually return to their normal pace, for the most part.

Winter hated this time of year, just like most people in District Four.

_After this year and next year, I'm safe_, she thought to herself, as she floated in the waters. She hated herself sometimes for thinking so selfishly, but after everything that had happened, she couldn't help herself. _After these next two reapings, I'm safe._ She closed her eyes as she silently celebrated the thought.

Being seventeen in the districts had its perks; only two more years of going through the reaping, and she would be safe from the games for the rest of her life. Two more ceremonies, and she would be able to sleep somewhat easier at this time of year. The only problem was, the older she grew, the less likely it was that a Career would volunteer for her in the case that her name was chosen. Winter wasn't sure whether she rejoiced or regretted never becoming a Career, but she liked to think she rejoiced. Logically, it made the most sense to be as well-trained as possible in the case of entering the games; plus, volunteering for a younger, less-able person was always honorable. Yet something about training to kill always made her feel uneasy.

Just as she was going through these mental debates, as she did almost every year, she heard a muffled voice. Opening her eyes and adjusting her position so the water would escape her ears, she realized the voice belonged to Carsten, who was walking towards the water.

"If you don't stop meditating in the water, you're going to turn into sea foam!" She taunted from the shore, and Winter smiled despite rolling her eyes. She applauded Carsten for being up so early as she began to swim towards the shore.

After less than half a minute of swimming, Winter was again on the beach, walking towards her friend. Carsten threw a towel at her.

"All that water in your head didn't make you forget what today was, did it?"

Winter used the towel to dry her hair and then the rest of her body as she answered. "Not really an easy thing to forget," she replied, being more serious than she intended.

"Jacob was worried about you," Carsten told her, looking at her carefully to gage her reaction. "Thought you might try to run, err, swim, away again."

"That was two years ago, he needs to let that go," Winter groaned. Jacob was always concerned over her. It was nice, yet burdensome, at the same time. It was completely understandable why she had a breakdown that year just before the reaping, but that's all it was. A momentary lapse, an emotional meltdown because of what happened just the year before. Winter quickly tried to quit mentally re-visiting the source of her unraveling, but it was difficult.

"You have to admit, it wasn't your greatest plan," Carsten then said with a light laugh, lightening the mood once more, just as she always did. Winter eventually joined in with a few chuckles, and the pair began to discuss her dramatic, ill-advised antics as they made their way back to their homes. Carsten's home was closer, and the two said their temporary goodbyes as Winter made her way back towards her own house alone.

Just as she was walking down the street, she began hoping her mother wouldn't be too angry with her for not trimming her hair and scrubbing under her nails like she promised she would for the reaping. She began to calculate if she still had time to perform these tasks before having to get dressed and check-in when she heard someone yell her name, and immediately recognized it as Jacob.

"There you are!" The relief seeped through his voice unfiltered, and Winter sighed. He ran until he caught up to her. "I've been looking all over for you."

"Apparently, not _all_ over," Winter teased smartly, but added on a more sincere note, "But I appreciate the concern, Jacob." She then looked him over quickly and added, "You look nice. Celebrating your first year of freedom?"

Jacob laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Thanks, Winnie. But you know I won't be celebrating until you and Carsten are out of the tribute pool."

Winter wasn't sure if it was the reminder of the games or the heartfelt remark that made her feel the surge of emotion, but she suddenly found herself embracing Jacob tightly. He immediately reciprocated, swaying her gently from side to side.

"I'm so glad I have you," she told him, even though she knew it probably wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear, but she was never sure if she could spill those words to him in total sincerity. Not the way she was now. "You and Carsten. I'm very lucky." She wanted to laugh at the irony in her words even though she meant them.

"You know I'll always be here for you," Jacob reassured her. "Always." The two stayed in their embrace for a moment longer, until Winter noticed some girls fixing each other's hair.

"Shoot!" she exclaimed, breaking away from him and running in the direction of her house. "I'll see you later, Jacob, I really have to start getting ready or my mom is gonna flip!" She could hear his light laughter as she sprinted away, and it left a faint smile on her lips.

Just as she burst through the door, her mother walked towards her.

"Where have you been! Oh, your hair is a ratty mess, did you go swimming this morning? You know I told you not to do that, it always makes it so much more difficult to get a brush through," her mother rattled off, attempting to run her fingers through Winter's hair as she flinched.

"Yes, mom, I know, I know, I'm sorry," she repeated. "Just had to clear my head." Her mother stopped fiddling with her hair for a moment to look at her with sad eyes.

"I'm sorry, dear. It's fine, we'll just throw it up in a bun," her mother conceded with a tight smile, her eyes still expressing sorrow. Winter smiled back as her mother began to work her magic, cleaning her face, untangling her hair, shaping her eyebrows, trimming her nails. She ended up twisting her hair into a formal looking bun, although allowing her fringe and a few stray pieces to frame her face; she brought out a simple—but clean and ironed—light blue dress for her to wear, as well. All in all, she cleaned her up very nicely, and all in record time. It was something her mother prided herself on.

"You look lovely," her mother crooned after she was finished. "It's almost time to check-in, though. So hurry along, and I'll be there soon. Stay safe, and look out for Mendy Pendleton's children, will you? They're still so young."

"Yes, mother," Winter replied, feeling guilty for not considering the poor twelve and thirteen year old neighbor children earlier in her pity party.

"And I'll see you later, for dinner. I'm making lamb stew," she said, as if her safety was already reassured. It may have been overly optimistic, but Winter appreciated it. Winter nodded, and then leaned in to peck her mother on the cheek before leaving. "I'll be there shortly!"

Winter, along with several other children from the same area, began making their way towards the Hall of Justice where the annual reaping was held. She held back for a moment, however, until she spotted two familiar faces—Cindy and Stark Pendleton—and walked towards the two frightened looking children.

"Hey, danger duo!" Winter jokes as she nears the pair, who turn around and now have bright smiles on their faces.

"Winnie!" The children cry as they run into her arms, and she embraces them tightly. After letting them go she holds their hands and helps guide them to the check-in area, making light-hearted small talk to keep their minds away from the games. She drops them off at their respective areas, and then goes to the seventeen year old section, where she sees Carsten has already been registered and waves to her briefly from where she stands near the front. Winter waves back, but her hand is yanked by a Peacekeeper as he goes to take her blood.

Before she knew it, she was standing with the same group of kids she stood with every year, in front of the same hall, thinking the same thing. _Not me. Please, not me._

The escort, Kendra Phinkler, began to say the same thing she says every year, except in a different shade. Last year her skin was dyed a nice pale pink—it could almost be considered normal looking—this year it is more of a pale turquoise color. Her eyes are bright and decorated with small rhinestones, and her lips and eyebrows are a matching gold color, that seems to reflect the sunlight. Her dress is the same color as her skin, but simply a much darker, brighter shade, with intricate gold designs. It is tight around the waist, and then poofs out. If she were into all the superficial designs and trends of the Capitol, Winter would probably find it appealing. But at the moment, it just seems outrageous.

Then the video played. Winter stopped bothering to watch it; it was always the same. Instead, she looked towards the surrounding crowd, looking for a familiar face. Everyone was required to attend the reaping, because not attending was punishable by death. She searched until she saw Jacob, who also wasn't paying attention. He rolled his eyes and made a slight funny face, causing her to have to stifle a giggle. After it finished playing, Winter turned her attention back to Kendra.

"Now, it is time to select our courageous male and female tributes!" She shrilled, and Winter's heart jumped into her throat. "First, we will start with our lovely ladies," she said with a smile, tip-toeing in her high-heels towards the female tribute bowl.

_Not me, not me. Please. Not me._

Winter looked towards Carsten, who gave her a limp half-smile.

_Not her, either. Not me. Not Carsten._

Then she turned around slightly and noticed Cindy.

_God, definitely not her. None of us. Why does it have to be any of us? I wouldn't wish it upon any person in this crowd. _

She couldn't stop the rush of anxious thoughts as Kendra's finger swirled around the female tributes. Her heart jumped into her throat, as it does every year, causing her to hold her breath. Kendra finally picked a name at this point, and was walking back to the microphone to read it out loud.

She smiled brightly. "Winter Clarring!"

Winter heard a shriek from the crowd. The kids surrounding her all turned to look at her, clearing space. She just now registered the cries as her mother, and her first thought at that moment was, _I'm so sorry mom_.

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**So that was it! Just when Winter Clarring was beginning to think she was in the clear, reality comes in and gives her a slap in the face. See how her friends and family react in the next chapter, as well as who her fellow male tribute is, and how the pair react with their mentors! Hope you all enjoyed :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm so sad, I had three pages of this typed out and then Word stopped working :( I should definitely learn the art of saving as I type. But thank you, Sailing for my Dreams, for reviewing! I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)**

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Winter felt like she was in a trance as she walked towards the stage. She felt Kendra's hand on her back as she guided her towards the center, where she was instructed to wave. Her eyes fell upon Carsten, who was covering her mouth with her hand, most likely to cover the sound of her sobs. She didn't dare look for Jacob or her mother in the crowd.

"Excellent! And now for the male tribute!" Kendra continued without missing a beat, with as much enthusiasm as ever. "Adrian Corpita!"

Winter didn't immediately recognize the name, but as a fit looking fifteen or sixteen year old started walking towards the stage—maybe a Career, maybe just a fisherman's son—she thought he looked vaguely familiar. It was better she didn't know him personally, anyways.

After he made it to the center of the stage, as well, Kendra wrapped up the show. "And here are your male and female tributes from District Four! Please, give your lovely competitors a round of applause!" A growing applause was heard from the crowd, but it still didn't seem like enough to drown out the sound of her mother's cries. It rang in her ears, a gut-wrenching sound.

Winter and Adrian were then escorted inside the Hall of Justice, where they were separated and led into different rooms. Winter assumed this is when they would bring in friends and family to say goodbye, and she was grateful for the privacy. After waiting for only a few moments, the Peacekeepers arrived, and with them was her mother.

She was immediately wrapped into the teary-eyed woman's arms. "They can't do this to me again, they can't take away my baby again! This isn't fair! It isn't fair," she cried helplessly against her only child. Being taller than her mother, Winter adopted the comforting position, cradling her head to her chest. She willed herself not to cry. She needed to be strong for the both of them.

"I'm going to try my hardest," she told her, even though she knew it wasn't enough. "Save my place at the table. I'll be back for supper before you know it." She knew it was overly optimistic, and she didn't even really believe the words herself—the male tribute certainly looked like he had much better chances this year—but that is definitely not what her mother needed to hear at that moment. She then detached her mother from her chest and held her by the shoulders, looking her directly in her eyes.

"Don't shut down because of this," she told her in a much more serious tone. "I know it's difficult, but you can't blame yourself. The neighbor kids still need their favorite babysitter. Don't forget to eat, and take care of yourself, okay? I'll be alright, I just need you to be alright," Winter reminded her, hoping she took the words to heart. Her mother nodded solemnly, but Winter could still hear her cries as the Peacekeepers led her out the door and down the hall, and they made her worry.

As she sat alone with her anxious thoughts, the door reopened. This time, it was a teary-eyed Carsten who stood only a few feet away from her. She wore a broken smile.

"I don't even know what to say," she said with a short, broken laugh.

"Seventeen is apparently unlucky number for the Clarring family, for starters," Winter sardonically joked, and Carsten encompassed her in a hug.

"Maybe it'll be tropical," she pondered optimistically. "They haven't had a tropical type arena for a while now. You know how to work the waters, and how to use ropes. Don't forget what you're good at, use it," she instructed. "And don't forget about sun exposure. You burn easy. Find food and shade, and stay alert, okay? You can do it, you can do it if you really try," her voice was shaking. "You can do it."

Carsten finally let go of her embrace, and smiled weakly again. "Now I'm gonna be the one who has to look after Jacob. You know he's gonna be going mad the whole time."

"I know the feeling," Winter reminded her. "But do look after him, okay? And my mom. Please check up on her. And stay safe." Carsten made her promises and then she, too, was led out by the Peacekeepers. After a quick moment of silence there was already another person at the door, and Winter knew it could only be one person.

"Jacob," she breathed, and he was there in a second, engulfing her in his arms.

"I can't believe this, I can't believe it's happening again," he spoke shakily into her hair. "I don't know what I'm gonna do without you, Winnie." It was getting harder for her to breathe with how tightly he was holding her.

"I'm not dead yet," she tried to joke, although the mood was too far gone to be saved.

"I know what you're thinking, Win, but you have to try. I swear to God, if you don't try … I know you've probably given up, but it's not just about you, okay? You have to do it for me. And Carsten, and your mom, and Cindy and Stark and everyone else. You have to try," he pleaded, and she nodded against his chest.

"Don't get caught up in this, okay?" She knew he really thought she could make it if she tried hard enough, but Winter simply didn't hold this same conviction, and she didn't want him to break down when she didn't come back home.

"You make a mean net, though," he joked lightly, kissing the top of her head.

And in that moment, she sincerely thought she could grow to love him. It wouldn't be difficult, and she could definitely be happy. But she didn't have enough time to find out if that were true, to find out if everything would've worked out in the end. She only had now, and the games.

"Take care of yourself," she offered as a final piece of advice as the Peacekeepers dragged him away.

"Don't forget what I said, Winnie!" She could hear him yelling from the hallway. "It's not just about you, you've gotta try! For all of us!"

And then she was alone.

It wasn't long before the Peacekeepers rounded her and Adrian up and they were being filed onto the train. Although she wasn't really poor, Winter still wasn't used to all of the high-tech machinery and different luxuries. Everything seemed so modern and slick; she found it odd to see her face being constantly reflected back to her in something that wasn't a body of water.

Kendra led the two through the carts and to the living space, explaining that they were allowed to drink and eat whatever they wanted, and that today was a day of relaxation before they made it to the Capitol. The room was filled with trays and carts of different foods and exquisite looking bottles, and was lavishly decorated. Winter recognized most of the foods and pastries, but there were still some that were new to her, and despite the entirety of her situation and everything that had happened in the past hour, all she could think about at that very moment was trying all the different foods and flavors. Being chosen to go into a life-or-death situation certainly exhausted her energy, and she was ready to eat.

She immediately picked up what appeared to be a strawberry shortcake, or at least something similar, and began to scarf it down. Moaning slightly at the taste, she didn't waste a single second in devouring it. Yes, she wasn't poor, but desserts still weren't easy to come by. So enveloped in her new found love, she didn't even notice the door at the other end of the room opening.

"Glad to see you haven't lost your appetite yet," a smooth voice crooned.

Embarrassment flooded her veins as Winter quickly swallowed the last bit of dessert that was in her mouth; directing her attention to the origin of the voice, she discovered it belonged to a young, and very attractive, sandy-haired man. He had about the same height as Jacob, but had a more defined physique. Flustered at first, Winter swiftly realized who she was unintentionally gawking at.

"Finnick Odair?" His smile widened.

"Glad to see the people back home haven't forgotten about me," he replied, even though Winter knew that was a ludicrous idea. Finnick was the pride and joy of District Four. The details of his victory were broadcasted constantly during this time of year, and every time he came back to visit after gallivanting about the Capitol, stories and rumors of his trips spread like wildfire. Women swooned upon seeing him, men clamored to train with him; he wasn't just a victor, a survivor of the games—he was a well-loved celebrity, and all before he had even turned twenty. It was all a bit … _much_, in Winter's opinion.

It made Winter glad to know that Adrian appeared to feel the same, as he scoffed and somewhat sassily retorted, "A bit hard to forget, mate. But still a pleasure to train with you. I'm Adrian Corpita," he stated, and the two shook hands. "When do we get started?"

"Love the enthusiasm, Corpita, but as Kendra stated earlier, today is your day of relaxation. There's not much to do until we reach the Capitol and get to the training facilities. I suggest you take a note from her book," he took a moment to gesture to Winter, the cocky smile returning to his face, making her cheeks flare up once more, "and enjoy what the Capitol has to offer." After swiping an apple from the table and taking a rather large bite from it, he headed back towards where he came from.

The only thought running through Winter's head now was that Finnick Odair was not all he seemed cracked up to be. Coming in for half a minute to greet them, tease her, snag an apple and then leave again? She certainly felt prepared for the life-or-death bloodbath she was about to be thrown into, with a district partner who is already anxious to train and a mentor that can't take her seriously.

All she felt that she needed was to feel the sand beneath her toes again. She needed to feel the rhythmic movement of the water against her skin. She needed to feel the warmth of the sun and the embrace of her mother and friends.

She needed to be home, but she didn't think she ever would be again.

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**And so there you have it! I'm guessing that if you're reading this, you've pieced together this isn't the first time someone from the Clarring family has been reaped for the Hunger Games. Also, sorry that you only got a glimpse of one of the mentor's, but I promise there will be more of Finnick in the next chapter! Thank you for reading, and please review! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh my gosh even more reviews you guys are the best! Thanks to SplendiferousBowties, NorthWest9, and FollowTheSun22 for also reviewing :) Just a heads up, I'll probably be updating pretty sporadically for the next two weeks, because this week is my last week of classes and the next week is my finals week! Hope this chapter doesn't disappoint, enjoy!**

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Winter didn't see much of Finnick—or Mags, who Adrian informed her was their other mentor apparently—for the rest of the first day. She thought that he might want to divulge some wise words of wisdom or figure out their strengths and weaknesses, but the most she got from him was a nod of the head and small smirk as they passed each other in a short hallway. If she thought her odds were laughable earlier, they were downright hysterical at this point.

She also felt even worse about her whole situation because she was starting to like Adrian. Since both of their mentors appeared to be MIA, and both of them weren't entirely fond of spending hours talking to Kendra, they really only had each other to talk to. And although she learned he actually _was_ a Career—he was two years younger than her at fifteen, but probably ten times more equipped—he was a pretty nice guy.

"So I've noticed that you haven't even touched the desserts," Winter told him, gesturing to a tray of cupcakes and brownies nearby where he was sitting. It was getting pretty late in the evening now. "Is it really true that Careers don't eat sweets?"

"You always lump us all in together like that," Adrian muttered. "We're not _all_ alike, you know."

"Yeah, but you _all_ don't eat sweets, am I right?" Even though she could tell she was getting on his nerves, she couldn't help herself. If silly banter between another teenager kept her mind of the games long enough for her to not drive herself insane, then she was going to indulge in it.

"I'm not going to say anything."

"Eat a cupcake." He shot her a dirty look.

"You can train to throw spears directly at a bulls-eye and yet you can eat a single cupcake?" She quickly picked up a cupcake from beside her and tossed it at him, but it ended up just hitting his chest. She made a mental note that although he bested her in strength and handling weaponry, it appeared she at least had him beat in the reflexes department. He gave her another pointedly annoyed look as if to say, _And you're the older one here?_, before picking up the cupcake and setting it on a table.

"It's not just about indulging in sweets, it's about self-control and restraint," he told her in a sigh.

"And you probably want to keep up that nice physique," Winter teased, allowing herself to finish off yet another brownie.

This, at least, had him smiling. "So you admit I have a nice physique?" Just as Winter was about to retort, the door leading into the living area opened.

"It's getting pretty late, I think you two should rest up," Finnick stated, and Winter held herself back from scoffing. _Of course he gets to tell us our bedtimes, and then not actually do anything to help us in the arena_, she begrudgingly thought to herself, even though it had only been a day. Despite thinking this, however, she got up. Then she realized she had no idea where her bedroom was.

"Wondering where your bedroom is?" Finnick seemed to read her mind, or at least her lost expression. "It's down that hallway, second door on the left. Adrian, yours is the first on the left." Winter knew that she should've been appreciative, but for some reason she could only feel herself getting ticked off at the nineteen year old victor; his tone of voice, his cocky smile, his flighty manner, it all bothered her much more than it should've. But then again, this wasn't just a brash boy down at the fishery, who she could grow to like or avoid if she wanted. This was her mentor, and the fact that he was supposed to be working to save her life made her more judgmental.

She briskly walked past him to reach the doorway; Adrian raised his eyebrows at her display, but followed right behind, and Finnick followed behind him. After reaching her room, Winter flopped on her bed, her face falling directly into one of her pillows. She didn't like to be alone a lot, especially at night; it left her alone with her thoughts, completely undistracted. And God knows what could happen if she was left alone with her thoughts for long enough.

After laying there for a few moments in silence, she figured she actually should try to fall asleep soon, if not for the sake of being well-rested than for the sake of not having to hear herself think. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to soothe herself to sleep, but sleep just didn't seem to come to her. She made sure practically every light was off, and that the fan was on and her blanket covered her completely, but she still couldn't fall asleep.

She decided maybe she just needed some warm milk. Her mother started making her warm milk a few years ago, when the nightmares got really bad, and sometimes she was just too anxious to sleep. Getting up from her bed yet again, she quietly snuck into the kitchen.

Thankfully, no one else was in the kitchen area; she didn't want to have to explain that for some reason, their pitiful tribute couldn't seem to fall asleep no matter what she tried. She quickly prepared a warm glass of milk and chugged it down, hoping that maybe drinking it faster would make her fall asleep faster. In reality, it only made her feel somewhat nauseous.

Walking back to her room quietly and then flopping on her bed once more, she finally realized why she couldn't fall asleep, aside from the general anxiety.

It was the silence.

Of course, there was the light whirring of the fan, but aside from that, it was silence. There were none of the sounds she grew used to. She fidgeted about on her bed again before hearing a light knock on her door. Sitting up immediately, heart racing, she squeaked a "Who is it?" and the door opened, revealing none other than the great Finnick Odair.

Too confused to be annoyed with him, her eyebrows furrowed together as she stared at him, wondering why he was there in the first place. "I could hear you," he finally revealed, causing her cheeks to redden once more. "My room is on the other side of yours." _Great, that means that Adrian could probably hear me, too_.

"Adrian's dead asleep, though," he finished, answering her thoughts for the second time that day. Was she really such an open book, or was he just that good at reading people?

"Here to finally offer some helpful advice?" Winter snarked before she could help herself, and she almost felt like smacking her hand over her mouth, but was glad that she refrained from doing so. It would probably only add to the embarrassment.

He actually raised his eyebrows at that one, the playful smirk not on his face for once. He was silent for a moment, as if he was in deep thought, before speaking up again. "Thought I might try," he finally replied, the smile returning, but with less enthusiasm. He revealed a small cylindrical metal object that he had been holding, which mainly looked like a speaker of some sorts. It had a variety of buttons on the top and Winter didn't think she had seen anything like it before.

She couldn't stop her curiosity. "What is that?"

"A noise maker," he replied. He actually came in at this point, and although she didn't really invite him, she scrunched herself up to allow him a place to sit on her bed. "It's hard being away from the sounds you're used to, especially the ocean."

Winter felt relieved at his words; it surprised her how comforted he made her feel. "So it's not incredibly pathetic I'm losing my mind trying to fall asleep on my first night away from home?" She asked with a sad smile.

"Not entirely," he simply replied, and she nudged him lightly with her leg. "It was hard for me, too. Mess around with the settings to find what works for you," he said, tossing the small 'noise maker' towards her, patting her knee lightly before standing up and walking towards the door. Winter felt overwhelmed to stop him, to say something.

"Hey," was what she settled on. He turned around. "Thanks," she mumbled. "For the, uh, noise maker, thing." He smiled, but it still didn't reach his eyes.

"Least I can do, right?"

And with that, the door was closed, and she was alone again. Except, not wholly alone, because now with a few clicks from the top of this device, she heard the rush of the ocean. Fiddling around with it, she discovered she could adjust the volume, the intensity of each specific sound, and the sounds themselves. She left it on a setting that allowed for a soft coastal sound; she could hear the waves hitting the shore, and a few seagulls in the distance, with some occasional gusts of wind. She found herself falling asleep with a smile, as she allowed herself to get taken back to District Four in her dreams.

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**Ah, sorry guys! I didn't get as far as I would've liked in this chapter (I was hoping to introduce Mags and have them reach the Capitol whoops) but since I'm back in my dorm, it's definitely harder to find quiet, alone, writing time. I'll hopefully update in the next couple of days, however, before I have to go crazy studying for finals! Also are any of you enjoying the fact that Winter doesn't immediately warm up to Finnick? Review with your thoughts! Anyways, thanks for reading! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Muhahah, I should definitely be studying chemistry or something but why do that when I actually have some time to write? Again, I'd like to thank Rainfallinwinter (nice name!), and then FollowTheSun22 and Sailing for my Dreams for being my first serial reviewers! Woo! I'm glad that people are liking the development of their relationship so far, and hopefully this chapter will be a ****_little _****longer (emphasis on the little) so enjoy!**

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Today was the day that Winter and Adrian were to enter the Capitol. Today was the day when they were going to meet their stylists, show off to the crowds, and settle in to their temporary homes. Today was truly the start of the end, or at least that's what it felt like to Winter when she finally woke up after a peaceful eight hour sleep.

She hated to admit it, but the noise maker was magical. She turned it on, and she almost felt immediately tranquil and relaxed; she turned it off, and she was brought back to reality. After Finnick left the night before and she had adjusted it to her preferable settings, she didn't have any nightmares and slept soundly the whole night, which was somewhat hard for her to achieve normally. She picked up the small cylindrical contraption and juggled it lightly from hand to hand, wondering how someone managed to invent such a delightful device; someone from District Three most certainly had to have made it, she decided.

Just as she was admiring the little gadget, her door opened, and her head shot up.

"It's a pretty fascinating little machine there, isn't it?" Winter held back a groan; whatever had seemed to plague her mentor yesterday seemed to evaporate completely this morning. His cocky smile was back and brighter than ever, watching her fumble around with the noise maker like a child with a new toy. It was as if he had a sixth sense that allowed him to always enter a room when she was doing something vaguely embarrassing.

Winter thought about giving another sassy retort as she had done the first time he knocked on her door, but then thought better of it. After all, _he_ was the one who noticed her sleeplessness and provided her with a remedy for it. If she dared to think it, he was also the one that made her feel comforted in the few short moments he spent with her. And on a more logical note, he was also the one that was supposed to try his hardest to keep her alive in the arena, so getting on his bad side was probably not the best idea, no matter how overrated she occasionally thought he was.

"It sounds like home," was all she ended up replying, changing the mood from playful to somber. She guessed he wasn't expecting such a serious response, because he didn't have a witty reply ready to throw back at her; instead his look just softened. He cleared his throat then, appearing to collect himself.

"I'm meeting with Adrian in the living space for breakfast and to discuss some things about the games. Mags will also be there, so you should probably freshen up," he then said, somewhat brusquely, before pushing away from the door and walking down the hallway.

Winter wanted to throw the noise maker at the door where he had just been standing; his mood swings were worse than anyone's she knew. A teasing comment and typical cocky smile, and then a sour mood and snide remark? She didn't even know how to feel about him—she didn't know whether to ignore him or punch him or appreciate him. All of District Four's gossip on Finnick Odair had not prepared her for the enigma she was now currently faced with. It had only been a day so far and she was already frustrated with how to deal with her mentor; she thanked the heavens he wasn't her only one. She wondered if River felt the same way, but quickly pushed that thought to the back of her mind. She would be in bed all day if she let herself start to think that way.

Winter didn't know much about Mags—Adrian had only mentioned her in passing, saying that she was the female victor that would also be training them—but she was hoping she didn't have to jump through hoops to understand her. Back home, she hadn't really heard much about Mags; Winter assumed she either must not be as sellable a product as the flirtatious Finnick, or must just be a little older than her generation. As she rifled through the drawers, looking at all the clothes the Capitol provided for her and deciding upon what to wear, she envisioned a thirty-something year old wise, stoic woman as her other mentor. A mature, helpful victor that would be straightforward, but comforting, as well. The thought put a smile on her face.

Since she didn't bring any clothes with her, and it didn't appear that the Capitol thought it was a wise decision to stock up the dresser in her room for just one night on the train, Winter slipped back on her blue dress from the reaping. She then ran her fingers through her hair and put it in a simple braid. It didn't make sense to bother doing much since she knew anything she did would be scrubbed away by the stylists in the Capitol, so she could look her absolute best as they forced her to go on display.

When she made it out to the table set up near the living space, Adrian and Finnick were already there. She took a seat next to Adrian, and immediately grabbed a bagel and started to butter it. It was as if just being around all the food increased her need to consume it; she wasn't sure if it was her stress and anxiety making her eat, or just the fact that she could never eat this much at home, but she was sure taking advantage of the Capitol's abundant food stocks. The Capitol could throw her to her death and tear apart her family, as well as many other families, but she was working on depleting their food supplies, one bagel at a time.

Just as she bit down into her bagel, she could've sworn she heard a snide remark come from Finnick, something along the lines of 'eat her way out of the arena,' but she chose to ignore it. The trio sat in a somewhat awkward silence for a few moments until the door opened, and Finnick mumbled, "Must be Mags," under his breath before walking towards the door.

An elderly woman grasped onto his arm, her hair a long heap of gray curls, her skin a sea of light wrinkles. She beamed a smile of youthful admiration at Finnick, however, as he helped her towards a seat and pulled one out for her, right next to him. Winter stopped chewing mid-bite.

_Oh dear God, my mentor is a dinosaur. I am stuck with a peacock and a dinosaur._

"Adrian, Winter, this is Mags," Finnick introduced them. "Mags, these are the new tributes." Mags smiled warmly at the pair of them, and although still stunned, Winter forced herself to swallow her food and smile back out of politeness.

"Mags doesn't like watching the reapings, they tend to tire her out," Finnick then added, explaining her absence the day previous. Winter could understand where she was coming from; at her age—probably late seventies, by the looks of it—she had probably seen enough teary-eyed families and heard enough mournful sobs to last a couple lifetimes. You could only watch so many teenagers stumble to the stage, shaking and terrified, before it took a toll on you.

"Nice to meet you," Adrian said as he sat up slightly to lean across the table and shake her hand. Winter was almost afraid his strong grip might break her wrist.

"Pleasure to meet you, as well," Winter eventually stuttered out, settling on just nodding her head towards her. Mags never broke her smile, and Winter felt that she was actually a very kind old woman. With how carefully and genuinely Finnick cared for her—something that oddly touched Winter—she also assumed she was someone very important to him. How helpful she would be in training her and Adrian, she was unsure.

"So, let's get down to business, I suppose," Finnick offered, the previous smile off his face. "Give me your backgrounds," he stated simply, and Winter looked at Adrian, who shrugged and decided to speak first.

"Trained at the academy for five years, best at throwing spears. I can handle tridents pretty well, too, though. Pretty good at hand-to-hand combat, although I've mostly only fought against people around my size, so I don't know how well I am against much taller opponents. I'm kind of rusty on my survival skills, though," he admitted. Finnick nodded, seeming to take it all in, and then his eyes turned to Winter, whose mouth had gone dry.

"Well, I, I never trained at the academy," she revealed. "I'm not really … super great, at anything, I guess. I swim a lot," she offered. "And I mess around with ropes, making knots, and hammocks, and nets and stuff. I've only ever used spears or tridents to fish," she said, scratching underneath her forearm, as she always did when she was nervous. "I used to play wrestle with my brother, but I don't really think that counts for anything," she joked, with a nervous small laugh. Suddenly saying all of these things out loud made it abundantly clear how miserable her chances were, especially compared to Adrian's. What were Carsten and Jacob thinking? Quantitatively _and_ qualitatively speaking, her skills weren't very impressive. It depressed her thinking about how all of District Four would watch her fail miserably and end up disappointing them. It reminded her of River's time in the games.

Thankfully, Finnick spoke up soon enough to stop her downward spiral of thoughts before it got too far. "Those aren't … completely useless traits, we can work with them," he told her, but then turned his attention back to her district partner. "Adrian, I suggest that you don't show off what you're best at in training. Try and pick up something new, like knife throwing or learning the different herbs, and if you feel like you have to show off, mess around with a trident a bit. Just don't let anyone know what you're best at until you get into the arena," he told him.

"Winter, I suggest that what _you_ do in training is try to make allies," he said, and she scoffed under her breath. _Aren't completely useless traits, my ass,_ she thought to herself. _Of course my best chances are going to be making friends and having other people do the work for me._ "If you can, try and befriend the other Careers. Adrian, you too. But be careful, because the tributes from One and Two always tend to turn on the tributes from Four first," he warned them, and Winter couldn't help but be thankful that he was finally offering some noteworthy advice. It was the first time he was really engaging with them in conversation, telling them things that could actually make a difference for them in the arena.

Just as soon as it started, though, it was over; Mags pointed a finger at the window, directing our attention to the change in scenery. Several tall, gleaming buildings were in sight now, indicating we were close to the Capitol. They weren't quite there yet, but they were definitely close.

"Well, I guess that's enough for today," Finnick breathed out, standing up from the table.

"We still probably have like ten or so minutes before we reach our train station, though," Winter interjected boldly; she wasn't just about to let him have another mood swing, right when he was being the most helpful. She couldn't let him shut off again and leave them hanging; although she had essentially accepted the fact that she was going to be heading to her imminent death in a couple weeks, she had still promised people back home she would at least _try_. And Adrian definitely deserved better; he had the better chance at winning, and she was sure his family didn't want to watch him die simply because his mentor didn't give it his all.

Instead of replying, Finnick merely started heading towards the door anyways. That was the last straw for Winter.

After working up her courage to follow him, she jolted from her seat and stalked towards the door as well, following him into the small corridor. "You know, I'm not a big fan of your teaching methods," Winter finally confronted him. He turned around, a little shocked to see her. She ended up almost bumping into him because he stopped so suddenly, which caused her to get slightly flustered, much to her dismay.

"Oh, really?" She couldn't place his tone, but it didn't sound teasing or sarcastic this time. He also didn't make any movement to step back from her, keeping their close proximity.

"Yeah," she breathed out, a little less confident than she was half a minute ago. "From the beginning you've barely given us the time of day, and when you do it's either to tease me or to give a small hint of advice, right before leaving again," she told him. "It's not fair—"

"You know what's not fair, honey?" He asked, suddenly heated. It was the most emotion she had ever seen from him, and it made her shrink back a little. "After surviving the games yourself, being forced to mentor people just like you, and having to watch them get killed, every year. So, forgive me for trying to separate myself from that special brand of mental torture," he nearly spat.

Winter was left speechless for a moment; she knew somewhere in the back of her mind that obviously was a part of the whole mentoring process, but she had never outright thought about it. His personality suddenly fell into place for her, and she felt a little bad for being so mentally—and outwardly—critical of him. She knew what it was like to root for someone with all of your heart, and then watch everything fall to pieces right before your eyes. It had only happened to her once, and she _still_ hadn't fully recovered from it. She couldn't imagine it happening over and over again.

"I'm sorry," she practically whispered then, and was a little thrown off by him covering his eyes with his hand and lightly laughing.

"God, you always seem to say random things that, just, throw me off," he said then. She wasn't sure what overcame her then, but she found his laughter to be quite endearing. "You'll be criticizing me one moment, and then throw out an oddly sincere sentiment the next," he told her, and she found herself chuckling softly with him.

"I guess I just have a habit of speaking my mind sometimes," she replied, a genuine smile on her face, one of few that had occurred since she was reaped.

"I've noticed," he retorted, his gentle laughter subsiding. "I don't know how to handle you," he then told her, on a more serious note. She had never seen him be this honest, in person or on television. He always played a character—the bold and charming Finnick Odair—and now she was getting to witness what he was like behind closed doors. It almost made her anxious, getting to know him like this. She couldn't place exactly how he made her feel anymore; it couldn't be easily checked off as annoyed or appreciative, depending on his mood, and that worried her. Just as he didn't want to get attached to his tributes, she didn't want to get attached to her mentors too much, either.

"Well, you can start by not ignoring Adrian and I," she half-joked. "I know that it sucks, what you both have to do. But you can't just let us go in there blindly," she pleaded to him. "It's not very much fun being on either end here, but we're going to have to make it work. I don't want anyone to think I didn't at least try," she confided. Just as it looked like he was about to reply, Adrian appeared at the doorway.

"Hate to break up your moment, but we're almost at the station," he informed the pair, before heading back out again. Winter left Finnick in the hallway, with whatever words he left unspoken, to hurry behind Adrian. When she caught a glimpse of the windows, she was amazed at what she saw.

Brightly colored swirls of people were waving and jumping at the chance to see them. Insane building structures towered around them, with fountains and odd modern art statures littering the landscape. Soon, Winter knew she was going to be whisked away and everything would be happening so quickly and all at once; she soon wouldn't have time to catch her breath before heading off to the arena. This was it, Winter thought, swallowing hard as she shakily waved to the passing groups of strangely ecstatically happy people—they had finally arrived in the Capitol.

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**And there we have it! They have FINALLY gotten to the Capitol! By my pace they will probably get to the arena by Chapter 32 but slow and steady wins the race, right? I tried to make this chapter a little more lighthearted for the most part, because as the story progresses I don't think it would be very appropriate to add in random funny comments (for example, when people start killing each other, probably wouldn't be best to break out a knock knock joke or something). But yeah, here's a little update to tide everyone over for now! Hope it was to your liking! :)**


	5. Author's Note

**Hey guys! I know I've mentioned before how I have finals coming up so I just want everyone to know that I'm not abandoning this story! I just probably won't be able to post for the next week or so because unfortunately a lot of time will have to be devoted to "school work" and "learning" and "passing exams" (lame things, essentially). But I definitely have some things in mind that I want to write down, so don't forget about me as I wither away in a library :( I hope everyone else is having a nice time though, whether they're in school or not! :) **


	6. Chapter 5

**I AM DONE WITH MY FIRST SEMESTER AT COLLEGE! (I was actually technically done on Saturday but I've been busy with friend and family things since I've been home for winter vacation whoops) Thank you thank you thank you to the fabulous reviewers, as well, you are all beautiful snowflakes! I hope everyone's December is going lovely, I also hope you enjoy this chapter! :)**

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Everything seemed to pass in a blur for Winter; the arrival at the station, the crowds of crazed Capitol citizens, the being dragged off to different places to be interviewed or checked in or introduced to strangers, all with a camera focused on her face. The only thing that seemed to keep her grounded was the fact that Adrian was going through all of it right along beside her, and that Finnick and Mags were behind her, always providing a reassuring glance or light touch on the back. She felt better after having had her short talk with Finnick; she really thought things might start to look up for her, and Adrian, as well. She still didn't have any hopes of winning, she wasn't delusional yet, but she at least thought her friends and family would see that she tried her hardest. Jacob's last words still rang through her head as a man with bright orange hair stuck a microphone towards her face, a camera crew rolling along beside him.

"Winter! Winter! How does it feel being the second Clarring child to be selected for the games? Winter!" Winter avoided his gaze, focusing on being walked toward the building where she was going to be taken to her team of stylists. Her jaw clenched; she knew, she _knew_ this was going to happen—it was inevitable when dealing with curious, careless Capitol people—but that didn't make it any easier. She had been in the Capitol for less than half an hour and she already wanted to get back on the train. She wanted to run to her room and to the safety blanket Finnick had loaned her, she wanted to drown out this man's voice with the sound of the ocean, the sound of her district. She wanted to talk to River.

Adrian gave her a quick, concerned side-eyed glance. He was two years younger than her, but he was still old enough to have seen the games that year. Finnick just watched the whole spectacle, a furrowed look of confusion splayed across his face, before things seemed to click. He knew her name had sounded familiar, and her face even held a sense of acquaintance despite having never personally met her before, but now it all made sense.

He sprang into defensive mode almost immediately.

"C'mon," he muttered under his breath as he subtly grabbed her arm, shocking her slightly out of her stupor. He ushered the two towards the entrance of the building in a quickened pace, while Mags struggled to keep up, and the flashy news crew were forced to stay outside for security reasons. Once they were inside, they slowed down to a stop, as all eyes fell on Winter.

"You okay?" Finnick inquired, a sincere look of worry—and another emotion she couldn't place, could it be remorse?—spread across his features. She was wondering why everyone was looking at her so concerned, it made her feel like an injured fish in a fishbowl. It was only after she touched her face that she realized she was crying.

"Yeah," she replied out of habit. "I knew it was going to happen eventually. I just feel a little stupid," she laughed dryly under her breath, "the first person I wanted to talk to was my brother. It's a little hard to do that when it's his death they're asking about, though," she muttered, forcing her face not to scrunch up and her eyes to stop watering. _Not the time, not the time, not the time. Do it in private, this is not the time. They don't need to see this, you need to be strong. _She had been repeating this mantra long before she was picked for the games.

"Bunch of heartless pricks," Adrian muttered. She coughed another dry laugh. She really didn't like how much Adrian was growing on her.

"Well, now that we're here, you guys really need to go and meet your team of stylists that will get you prepped to be dressed for the Tributes Parade. We won't be seeing you much until the parade is over and you're in the lodge for the tributes," Finnick interjected, bringing them back to the reality of the situation. They were in the Capitol for the Hunger Games. They were here as tributes, and they had to do what all tributes do. It wasn't wise to let minor hiccups disrupt their routines, as well as their chances to make good impressions.

Winter nodded her head. Even though some part of her just wanted to wallow a little bit, she was glad that he was keeping them focused. Plus, after having just seemingly convinced him to train her and Adrian seriously, she didn't need to have him think she was even weaker than she already appeared.

A few security guard type people came and silently began to guide Adrian and Winter through the lobby of the building they were in, away from Mags and Finnick. They lead them to a fairly large room, where other tributes were already laying down and being groomed. She was guessing they were from the first three districts, and the others would arrive after them. Winter forced herself not to look at the other tributes; a majority of them were probably Careers, and she didn't want to freak herself out just yet. Although she meshed well with Adrian so far, it didn't mean that she would mesh well with the other competition.

The pair of tributes were led to adjacent table areas, separated by a translucent curtain.

"Put this on," a woman with long nails, and even longer, decorated eyelashes, commanded as she held out what looked like a hospital gown. Winter shifted uncomfortably. "No one is payin' attention to you, honey, they all got other things to worry about. Just go ahead and put it on," the brightly haired woman told her again, and Winter finally conceded, quickly stripping and throwing the gown on. "You can sit on the table now, darlin'," the woman motioned in a flippant manner towards the metal bed as she turned around to fiddle with some instruments. A similarly dressed man then came to her little sectioned off area, as well, and then began the grooming process.

Winter was not a fan of the grooming process.

She felt as if she was the only one who felt uncomfortable in the room; the people waxing and tweezing and clipping and scrubbing her seemed completely nonchalant. She didn't hear a single pip from any of the other tributes, either, so she decided to simply suffer in silence. Once she was finally done with all of the tiresome preparation, she was led to a different room—a smaller room—so her stylist could transform her for the Tributes Parade.

She was only alone for a few moments before a slightly older-looking woman entered the room. She wasn't as fantastically designed as the prep team appeared, yet she did seem to have a glow about her. Her dark colored hair was pulled back into an intricately braided up-do, with random bits and pieces of shimmery material tucked in here and there. Her skin was much darker than Winter's pale complexion, and seemed to have a natural shimmer or radiance to it. The only word Winter could think of to describe her make-up was sharp. Her nails were fairly long and pointy, although they were simply color. Her full lips were in a tight line and her dark eyes fixed unmoving on Winter. All in all, she had an intimidating presence.

"I'm Zabel. You must be Winter." There was no friendly inflection in her voice, and she didn't offer out her hand for Winter to shake. This woman was definitely not as flamboyant as many other stylists seemed to be, and Winter wasn't sure whether she should celebrate this fact or not. She didn't want to be constantly annoyed, but she didn't want to be afraid every time her stylist went to pick up a pair of scissors, either.

"I'm not one for small-talk so we're just going to get down to it. I'm here to make you look sellable. In order to do that, I need you to cooperate with me, alright?" She spoke in a stern voice, but it wasn't menacing as Winter built it up to be in her head, so she nodded silently to show she was cooperative. "Good. Now, I'm sure you know that you're supposed to be dressed in clothes from your district."

"Yeah, like fishermen and sea creatures and all that," Winter finally spoke up.

"Right. And I'm also sure that you know that this ploy is completely overdone," Zabel added in her direct tone, somewhat stunning Winter—it wasn't often she heard people speak badly about things produced by the Capitol. Everyone back home knew how played out the costumes were, but it was simply a thing that was never talked about out loud. A snide remark may be made under someone's breath every now and again, but no one outwardly criticized the costumes. To criticize the costumes would be to criticize the stylists, and to criticize the stylists would be to criticize the Capitol's judgment.

"W-Well, yeah," she eventually agreed, guessing that if Zabel felt comfortable enough to speak her mind, then she could, too. Zabel's lips pulled into a faint smirk now, showing emotion for the first time since she had entered the room.

"And that's why I have decided to mix things up a bit." Zabel took a step closer to Winter then, reaching out and lightly brushing her bangs away from her face, pushing some strands of hair behind one of her ears. "Your hair has been up this whole time, right?"

"Yeah. It's pretty long, and it tends to get in the way sometimes," Winter shrugged.

"Good. We'll get to show them something new, then. How do you fare in long dresses?"

"Lots of falling."

"Think you can manage to stand still for a couple minutes in one?" Winter's lips pulled into a small smile.

"I'll see what I can do." Zabel matched her smile with one of her own again, and the transformation began. Racks of clothes and materials were began to be brought in as other people carried in tubs of glitter and rhinestones and makeup and things that Winter didn't even know what they were used for, but didn't care to find out. There seemed to be a constant flux of people entering and leaving as she began to be fitted for her supposedly dazzling costume. It was as if things all became a blur to her again, as she had trouble focusing on all that was happening in front of her. Zoning out as much as she did these past couple of days was probably not a good habit to pick up at this time, but she didn't care to overanalyze it too much.

As she was being fitted and decorated, her mind traveled to the reporter from earlier. _"How does it feel being the second Clarring child being chosen for the games?_" His stupid voice rang in her head, and she wished she had enough steadiness and courage at the time to have screamed back at him "_How are you all this dense! How do you think it feels?"_ She hoped that his report wasn't live, and she hoped that her mother wasn't watching it, even though she knew that she would be.

Then she thought about Finnick's reaction. He had held her arm, guiding her to safety, away from the peskiness and absurdity that came with the people of the Capitol. He had looked concerned, and even somewhat … guilty, too. That was the part that confused Winter—why did he look so uncomfortable? Was it simply because she was a crying teenage girl, something he's probably seen enough of, or was it because of something else? And why did she find herself trying to figure this out so desperately?

She found herself thinking about Finnick a lot in her spare time, whenever she wasn't panicking or wallowing in self-pity, that is. Despite her first impressions of him, she found herself unfortunately drawn to the moody victor; he infuriated her at times, but he also captivated her attention, and made her feel oddly relaxed. Plus, she couldn't deny his conventional attractiveness—

"You have out_done_ yourself this time Zabe! This looks _fantastic_!" Someone squealed, interrupting her thoughts and momentarily bringing her them away from the enigma that was Finnick Odair. Winter blinked a few times before turning to look at herself in the mirror. Her breath caught in her throat.

She looked like the ocean; not some silly sea creature, or glamourized mermaid, or rope-covered fisherman. She looked like an embodiment of the ocean. She didn't look like herself. She was wearing a long, extravagant dress, whose material was cut and ruffled in a way that allowed it to fall and flow down her body, simulating a rippling, wave illusion when she moved; the colors changed in varying degrees of blues and turquoises and sea-greens, as well. It faded to lighter colors until it reached the top, which was around her chest, that was white and bubbly like seafoam. Her skin was misted with a glimmering substance, and her hair was long and wavy, with small bubble-like ornaments sprinkled in throughout it. Her make-up was simple, but noticeable. She couldn't see her shoes, but she could definitely feel her feet squeezed into them.

"If you're stunned now, just wait until what it looks like when you're really moving," Zabel leaned to whisper in her ear. "I'm going to go check in on your district partner now. Last time I was in there he kept trying to rub off the glitter," she muttered, and Winter held in a chuckle. Shortly after Zabel left, she was escorted out of the room towards the area where the chariots were located, which she was thankful for. She didn't think she was entirely conceited, but she was sure if she was left alone she would be staring at herself all day. She still couldn't believe it was really her. She wondered what Carsten and Jacob would think when they saw it.

When she arrived at her chariot, almost half of the other tributes were already lined up in their places. Winter sucked in a deep breath. Zabel had nothing on these tributes intimidation skills. The tributes from the first two districts looked like they were already veterans of the games with the way they held themselves—the goofy costumes didn't affect their presences at all. Winter knew she was supposed to make allies with people, that although unapproachable they were the most logical people to befriend, but she wasn't sure if she had it in her to even share a glance with them. Deciding not to make the day a complete waste, she shuffled to the chariot behind hers.

"Er, hey," Winter awkwardly began, trying to smile at the District Five male tribute, whose partner also seemed missing in action. "I like your costume. Very … electrical," she offered, eyeing the costume that was covered in what appeared to be strings of light and different kinds of light bulbs.

The boy laughed. "Yeah, it was supposed to light up, but I think they're having some technical difficulties right now. Probably should've gotten someone who was actually from District Five to wire it, but I digress. You look very … watery," he countered. "But very nice, too. Haven't seen a District Four costume look that good in a long time," he admitted, and Winter couldn't help but blush.

"Yeah, I think I lucked out this year. Although this glitter is definitely going to be a pain to get off," she joked, before noticing Adrian being led over. "There's my district partner, though. It was nice talking to you …" she realized she didn't even know his name.

"Wyatt," he finished for her, extending his hand.

"Winter," she reciprocated, quickly shaking it. "See you around," she told him as she walked back to her own chariot, where a less than pleased Adrian awaited. All in all, he looked handsome; he was shirtless, his skin glistening with sparkles and glitter, his dark locks pushed back with a thin golden crown placed on his head. He wore tight, just above knee-length shorts—almost like a wet-suit, Winter thought—that shimmered and looked like scales. Again, he looked conventionally attractive, especially by Capitol standards; he just didn't seem to be too happy about it. She had to stifle her laughter.

"I heard someone didn't enjoy their glitter bath earlier," she remarked, as a couple people from their teams came over to make sure everything was still in place. He simply gave her a look that she took as a sign to drop the subject.

Winter was still smiling to herself when a familiar voice commented behind her, "Glad to see you clean up nice." She immediately swirled around, much to the distress of the stylists around her, to see a smirking Finnick Odair. When she turned around to face him head on, however, his expression seemed to change. His mouth slightly ajar, he took in the entirety of her costume, causing her to heat up under his gaze.

"Miracle workers, these stylists are," she tried to joke. "Did a pretty good job of transforming me into something presentable," she said with a breathy laugh, fiddling with parts of her dress in both hands before the male stylist swatted her fingers. Why was she suddenly so fidgety all of a sudden?

"I don't think they had to do much at all, actually," he said then, causing her brow to furrow in confusion before he cleared his throat and added, "I, ah, have to go check on Mags. Don't, er, fall off the chariot, or anything," he quickly muttered in an almost flustered voice, as he walked past the pair. Just as he began to leave, she was being shuffled onto her chariot alongside Adrian as the announcer began to start discussing the parade.

With the furrow still present on her brow, the last thought before the horses pulled them in view of the celebrating Capitol citizens was, _what the hell just happened?_

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**And there we have it! Got a further glimpse into Winter's tragic past with the games, and also got to see how it's getting harder for moody Finnick to keep his distance from our lovely oceanic tribute :) I'm really excited to write some of the upcoming stuff because I will hopefully be able to get to a point where I can write some fluff and you know how much fun that is! Hope you all enjoyed, stay tuned for the next chapter!**


	7. Whoops Another Author's Note

**I AM SO SORRY GUYS :((( I have been meaning to get on and upload a new chapter but my computer stopped being able to charge and then died while I was on my winter break (we think it's just the charger though so we've been trying to get a new one) but ahh! I have not forgotten about the story! Just computer problems (I'm on my old dinosaur of a computer right now, it may die at any moment, we're in desperate times). Hopefully this week my charger will be shipped to me at school and I can upload the chapter so bear with me lovely readers! I hope you all are having a splendid time wherever you are, if you're going back to school or not! **


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